Update: UTSA continues to monitor swine flu

(April 28, 2009--12:30 p.m.)--UTSA officials continue to monitor the swine flu situation. All UTSA campuses (Main, Downtown and HemisFair Park) are open and operating on a regular schedule. UTSA President Ricardo Romo has asked the university's Emergency Response Team (ERT) to coordinate updates for the UTSA community.

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UTSA officials are working closely with local and state officials to monitor information and recommendations related to swine flu. On Sunday, Gov. Rick Perry took the precautionary measure of increasing the Texas request for antiviral medication to 25 percent (850,000 courses) of the Texas allotment from the CDC. The request will augment the more than 840,000 courses of antiviral medication on hand in Texas. (Read more on the Office of the Governor Web site.)

From the UTSA Office of Human Resources, the following procedures will help to reduce the potential for spreading the swine flu virus to co-workers or students. For more information regarding leave, refer to the UTSA Handbook of Operating Procedures, Chapter 4.20, Authorized Leave.

Staff and Faculty

If you suspect that you might have the swine flu, do not report to work and seek medical attention immediately.

Do not report to work if you are caring for an ill family member diagnosed with the swine flu.

Contact your supervisor as soon as possible and inform him or her of your need for time off.

Six cases of swine flu have been reported in Texas, and no deaths from this flu have been reported in the United States. The WHO reports 68 cases of swine flu in the United States. U.S. cases have been mild, however, severe swine flu illnesses and deaths have been reported outside of the country.

Swine flu is not caused by eating pork. All of the cases of swine flu in the United States have been transmitted by human-to-human contact.

General flu precautions

Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. (UTSA housekeeping staff are monitoring soap dispensers in campus restrooms to ensure an ample supply and disinfecting restrooms and door handles across the campuses.)

Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough; cough or sneeze into a tissue and dispose of used tissues. Wash your hands after sneezing or coughing.